The beginning of a good thing...

Here I sit. It is a Monday night in late September and the only noise I hear is the humming of the ceiling fan and the sound of my fingers running across the keyboard. I am in a place where peace takes over my mind and there is a constant feeling of love in the air. I am home. This is a place that I have been unfamiliar with for the past 3 months. Today I am on day 9 of my vacation home and I feel as though time has stopped; something I quickly realize that I need to take advantage of before the clock starts ticking again. Nine days ago I made my way back to my hometown in Michigan.  A town so small everyone knows who I am, details of my personal life, and most likely what I had for dinner last night (which was a delicious toasted tomato sandwich, by the way). Now this can get nauseating, but you do have options when growing up in a small town. You can let it consume you, or you can promise yourself that you won’t stop trying until you make your own dreams come true. I chose Option B without hesitation.

In 6 days I will be transported to the train station and will exit this world of corn fields, pick-up trucks, and friendly waves. I will make my way back to my sanctuary in the sky; my second home in Chicago. After making the decision to return to college nearly 6 months ago, my life has been a random mess of phone calls, emails, paperwork, and emotions. Looking back, it’s all a blur, as I knew it would be. Somehow, though, on July 2^nd, I signed the papers for my studio apartment on the 32^nd floor of a brand new complex in downtown Chicago. This decision was easy as studios were limited in the city, and this one happened to be 3 short blocks from my school, The Illinois Institute of Art. Don’t ask me how or why, but the entire process was calm for me. Everything seemed to fall into place and before I knew it I was sitting in my windowsill, looking at my fantastic views of Chicago, a place I’ve wanted to be for a long time. I couldn’t help but smile and say out loud, “You made it.”

This is not the whole story. I could go on for days and days with details about my move, but I won’t. Although, there are crucial elements of my story (and by story I mean life), but I will save those for future reference.  I remind myself every single day how lucky I am to be able to pursue this dream and I feel as though I am drenched in my family’s pride. I never want to forget this journey; consequently, this is the beginning of my blog.

Taken during a morning walk in Michigan.